Redshirts [Paperback]

So, Redshirts, the new John Scalzi novel. Okay. Hmmm.

Look, I'm a fan of Scalzi's fiction. His Old Man's War books (Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony, Zoe's Tale) are excellent SF with a good story, setting, and plenty of humour in the narrative that works well. Agent to the Stars was also a really good read, as was Fuzzy Nation. But Redshirts. Man, disappointing isn't even the word.

The focus of Redshirts is the UUC Intrepid, and some newly arrived ensigns - our titicular Redshirts. The primary character is Andrew Dahl, and it's his experiences as he joins the Intrepid that we follow. There's something very wrong on this ship, and with his colleaugues miraculously disappearing at the right moments just as senior officers walk into the room, Dahl soon sets about to discover just what the hell is going on. It appears that there's a rather high percentage of crew deaths on away missions, and it is clear that certain people seem to be invulnerable to this misfortune....

I'll start with the good: Redshirts is a funny novel, a quick read, and full of references to Star Trek. I enjoyed reading it, plowing through in barely a day, simply because it's a typical Scalzi novel and his prose is easy to read - it very much has the 'one more chapter' effect. I also very much liked the fact that Redshirts focused on the minor crew members on the Intrepid, not on the bridge crew and high-ranking officials as is the case with many novels, and TV shows.

However.

Despite how much I enjoyed reading Redshirts I got the feeling, on pretty much every page, that I'd seen this before. Scalzi pays homage to Star Trek, without a doubt, and manages to do so fairly well, but that's its biggest failing. It's too similar, too many plot elements have been seen before. Adding a tongue-in-cheek take on them is good because, lets face it, the source material is ripe for mocking. But Redshirts' main draw is also its biggest letdown.

I had very high hopes for Redshirts, but ultimately it failed for me on pretty much all counts. It's a quick - and enjoyable - read, but doesn't do well when you look below the superficial elements. And the Codas - completely unneccesary, and it felt like they were there simply as padding because the main story was over so quickly.

For a bit of mindless reading if you've a spare afternoon, then Redshirts should suit you fine, but if you're looking for something deeper just give it a miss. I can't say I recommend it, because I don't, I'd much rather direct you to his previous novels where you'll find some of the most enjoyable SF stories I've read.

I bought this book, not having read much of Scalzi's previous work, mainly for its intriguing premise. What if, several centuries in the future, in a universe somewhat like that of "Star Trek" - starships, a galactic federation, aliens, diplomacy, space battles - the junior crew (and in particular, Ensign Andy Dahl) on one of those ships start to ask awkward questions - questions about why there are so many pointless, contrived and unlikely deaths among their ranks?

The title alone seemed to promise an amusing read, enlivened by geeky in-references. If you're interested in the book you'll probably know where the title comes from - but if you don't, the "redshirts" were the expendable security personnel in the original "Star Trek", a couple of whom would invariably accompany Kirk and Spock on hazardous missions and almost invariably get killed). Terry Pratchett said, I think, something about the minions in fantasy novels who would come running in response to the call of "Guards! Guards!" deserving a book of their own - well, here is the Sf equivalent.

In fact, this is much more than an amusing read. I don't want to say too much about what happens, for fear of spoiling the story, but as well as having fun exploring his central concept, Scalzi manges to pose a number of questions about what is real and what isn't, free will, an author's responsibility to his or her characters, and what are the hallmarks of good (and bad0 SF writing (and perhaps, writing in general). And he writes a good, page turning story as well - this isn't just a parody, or a dramatisation of tvtropes.org.

Yes, to a degree this book is having an argument with itself (and with the reader) about those questions - this is made more explicit in the "codas" (about which even less can be said, again for fear of spoilers - except that they are clearly an organic part of the book, not afterthoughts, and while more serious than the main story, shouldn't be skipped). But it's a fun read as well.

I read very few pure sci-fi books. Peter F. Hamilton usually gets a look-in, although his recent novels have been less than wonderful, and I'll try the odd other writer from time to time. John Scalzi is about the only writer of what I would describe as 'space operas' who I will happily read no matter what the subject matter. From Agent to the Stars to Old Man's War and Fuzzy Nation, he hasn't produced a bad book yet. Plus his blog, 'Whatever', is consistently entertaining.

However, I would have to say that 'Redshirts' is one of his weaker efforts. It's not a bad book, just not up there with Old Man's War and The Android's Dream, two of my favourites. Its definitely more of a Zoe's Tale in terms of quality.

My problem with Redshirts is that one of the key things that make Scalzi's best works so enjoyable is missing. One of the reasons that I find his novels accessible is the fact that he writes great characters, instilling them with genuine humanity even when they aren't actually human. There are no cliched 'lantern jawed heroes' or Han Solo-esque rip-offs in Scalzi novels; just real people in unreal situations getting on with their jobs as best they can, grounding the books otherwise fantastical premises and making them relatable.

Redshirts follows that trend almost to an extreme, with the average Joe on-board ship being thrust front and centre. What it fails to do however, is provide any of the eponymous 'Redshirts' with any real depth. In fact none of the characters are given much character development and remain at best two dimensional.

The result is a book that is undoubtedly clever (although it does feel a bit like a rip-off of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead mixed with elements of the movie Galaxy Quest [Blu-ray]), amusing if not laugh-out loud funny, and consistently entertaining, but one that lacks genuine depth. It feels like the author was focused on trying to prove how clever he can be with ideas of narrative interconnectedness and satire, but in doing so forgot to include real emotion. The plot works like clockwork, but at no point did I really care about any of the characters on the page.

As a result the best I feel able to award Redshirts is 3 stars. Its still a good book, but I know that John Scalzi can and has produced stuff that is so much better.